More Acreage Added to Montgomery's Cherry Brook Preserve

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

MONTGOMERY — The township has purchased a 16-acre forested parcel that completes the Cherry Brook Preserve in southern Montgomery. The property is surrounded by township-owned open space. This acquisition increases the acreage of the Cherry Brook Preserve to over 375 acres of contiguous open space.

   ”I am pleased to see that even in this economic downturn there is a continuing bi-partisan commitment to open space preservation,” said Mayor Mark Caliguire. “Over one third of the land in Montgomery is preserved as either public or private open space — that is critical to the character and quality of life in our town. We will continue to move forward when the money is there and when the deal is right to continue this preservation effort.”

   The total purchase price for this property was $110,000. The Montgomery Friends of Open Space assisted Montgomery Township with this acquisition, contributing $30,000 which was provided by a funding partner, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres Program. Montgomery Friends of Open Space own a 27 percent interest in the property.

   ”Montgomery Friends are proud to have partnered with Montgomery Township on acquiring this well-positioned piece of open space,” said Mary Penney, director of Montgomery Friends of Open Space.

   Cherry Brook Preserve is one of the largest forest complexes in the vicinity. Open Space Chairman Clem Fiori underscored the ecological significance of this purchase,

   ”We’ve been working on completing this forest preserve since 1995. Larger blocks of uninterrupted forest canopy are critically important today due to the decline in populations of migratory songbirds and other deep forest species. Unfragmented forest can provide them with the breeding habitat they need,” he said.

   Fragmenting forest into smaller sections creates more “edge” habitat, the boundary between forest and field. This increases impacts from species which thrive “on the edge” such as deer which over-browse and destroy the forest understory and nest predators, such as raccoons.

   The Montgomery Open Space Committee has its eye on the future. This parcel is directly adjacent to a 25-acre former farm field where volunteers have undertaken a reforestation project. Montgomery Township received a grant in 2007 from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and has planted over 1,000 trees and shrubs, which will foster ecological succession to forest, filling in this hole in the canopy.

   The Cherry Brook Preserve also contains exceptional resource value forested wetlands that are home to certain uncommon species of amphibians. The southern border of the new parcel is formed by a tributary of the Cherry Brook. The addition of this parcel to preserved open space will enhance surface water quality and aid stream protection.

   ”Look at some of the beautiful preserved parcels in town and imagine what things would have been like if we had not moved aggressively to preserve them,” said Mayor Caliguire.

   Cherry Brook Preserve contains an extensive recreational pathway system accessible from Birchwood Drive and the end of Linton Drive on Cherry Valley Road, as well as Cherry Brook Road across from the Waldorf School. For pathways maps, see “Recreation” at www.montgomery.nj.us or go to www.njtrails.org.

   Landowners interested in preserving their property or in participating in open space preservation as a conservation buyer should contact Lauren Wasilauski, Montgomery’s Open Space Coordinator, at 908-359-8211.

14 Acres Along Princeton Ridge Preserved

Courtesy Princeton Patch

Following more than two years of community effort, fundraising and litigation, 14 wooded acres on the ecologically-sensitive Princeton Ridge have been permanently preserved by a partnership of public agencies and four nonprofits - New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Friends of Princeton Open Space, Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association and Kingston Greenways Association.

The partners purchased the Ricciardi property on Bunn Drive on Aug. 25, adding to a growing greenway of forested lands along the Princeton Ridge. If not preserved, more than 45 homes could have been built on the property.

“We and our partners are very excited to preserve this property,” said Michele S. Byers, executive director of New Jersey Conservation Foundation, in a statement “This land is a critical link in the newly-created Princeton Ridge Preserve. Its preservation brings a successful closure to years of litigation and uncertainty about the land’s future.”

The property’s mature forests provide habitat for several endangered and threatened species, including the wood turtle, eastern box turtle, Cooper’s hawk and barred owl. In addition to protecting wildlife habitat, the forests preserve local water quality and prevent flooding.

The property is a key component of the new Princeton Ridge Preserve, connecting two adjacent properties soon to be preserved: the 35-acre All Saints Church property, which is being acquired by the D&R Greenway Land Trust and the Friends of Princeton Open Space; and 17 acres of the former Lowe property, to be donated by J. Robert Hillier. These lands will link to the Herrontown Woods Preserve, Hilltop Park and Autumn Hill Reservation. Plans call for a network of interconnected walking trails.

"I look forward to walking the trails and formally connecting this tract to the surrounding preserved spaces in the Princeton Ridge Preserve,” said Mayor Chad Goerner, who credited his Township Committee colleague, Liz Lempert, for helping spearhead the preservation. “It is great to see it come to a successful conclusion."

Public agency funding partners include the state Green Acres Program, Mercer County and Princeton Township.

"We are extremely pleased that this property will continue to grow trees and harbor wildlife, rather than sprout buildings and generate stormwater runoff," said Jim Waltman, executive director of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association. "Five years ago, many of us fought against a proposed 98-unit housing development on this property and we are thrilled that that battle is now just a memory." The number of potential homes was later reduced to 47.

Efforts to preserve the environmentally vulnerable Princeton Ridge began several years ago when a citizens group, Save Princeton Ridge, formed to stop proposed development on the properties on the Ridge.

The nonprofit groups came together two years ago to acquire the Ricciardi property for conservation; this week’s purchase ends litigation involving that property. Litigation on the Lowe parcel, between Save Princeton Ridge and Princeton Township, was settled earlier this year.

Goerner praised the teamwork and cooperation that made the preservation possible.

“This effort has been a true example of local and regional organizations working together for a common purpose,” he said. “I want to extend my thanks to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Friends of Princeton Open Space, Stony Brook- Millstone Watershed Association, Kingston Greenways Association, Mercer County and Green Acres for contributing to this important project."

Wendy Mager, president of the Friends of Princeton Open Space, said she is grateful to all who made the preservation possible. “We recognize the Ridge as a unique environmental asset deserving special protection, and are thrilled to be involved now in protecting key lands on the eastern Ridge,” she said. “The Princeton Ridge Preserve will be a continuing priority for the Friends of Princeton Open Space, which is already working on additional projects there.”

In addition to the public agency funding, more than 100 private donors from the Princeton community contributed more than $430,000 to fill a funding gap that could have jeopardized the project. A last-minute fundraising drive brought in a very generous anonymous gift that secured the project’s success.

“At the end of the day, it is individuals who love our town and other beautiful parts of this state who make the difference in conservation,” said Mager.

The Princeton Ridge is a sensitive ecological area extending from the Millstone River and D&R Canal State Park, across the northern region of Princeton Township into Hopewell Township, where it is known locally as the Mount Rose Ridge. Since at least 1959, Princeton Township’s Master Plan has identified the Princeton Ridge as among the most important and sensitive environmental features in the community.

In addition to the endangered and threatened species, the Ridge provides migration and nesting habitat for a number of migratory birds that require large patches of unfragmented forests to live and breed.

"The Princeton Ridge Preserve results from many collaborative efforts over the past four years; our thanks to all the nonprofit and governmental bodies that made this achievement possible," said Daniel A. Harris and Jane Buttars, founders of the citizens’ groups Save Princeton Ridge and People for Princeton Ridge. "We are delighted that our efforts to educate the Princeton community in matters of sustainable land-use and to secure a revised Ordinance for the Lowe tract (adjoining the Ricciardi tract) means that 80 percent of the Lowe tract will be part of the Princeton Ridge Preserve - an open space which (combined with Herrontown Woods) establishes 208 acres of contiguous natural habitat in the midst of Mercer County: no mean accomplishment."

More Medford Open Space Preserved

By Sean Patrick Murphy, The South Jersey Sun

Medford Township officials are most pleased to announce that three parcels in the township have been permanently preserved as open space and farmland under existing state and Burlington County programs.

A large portion (almost 400 acres) of the Brick Farm/Cranberry Bogs have been acquired by the state of New Jersey under its Green Acres program. The property abuts the state’s Wharton State Park and will be added to this state park. This project required no municipal cost share by Medford Township.

The Conti Farm, a 44-acre parcel off of Chairville Road, has been approved for preservation by the Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders under their farmland preservation program. Medford was approved last month by the Board of Chosen Freeholders under their park development grant program for $97,000 to utilize as Medford’s required 20 percent matching costs for the preservation of this parcel.

The Rancocas Conservancy has acquired the Sweeney property, a 40-acre parcel off of Jackson Road (near the Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge). This acquisition also required no cost share from the township.

“Medford Township will remain proactive in open space and farmland preservation projects, in continued collaboration with the state, Burlington County, and non-profit agencies,” Township Manager Christopher Schultz said. “We appreciate that nearly 500 acres of added lands have been permanently preserved at no cost to Medford residents.

“Added to the already 3,500 acres of preserved land, Medford remains in the forefront of open space and farmland preservation initiatives,” he added.

Hainesport, Burlington County, Farm Preserved

By Rose Krebs, Burlington County Times


HAINESPORT — The Township Committee has authorized $101,535 to purchase the development rights for the 80-acre Murphy farm off Fenimore Road.
At its meeting Tuesday night, the committee approved the purchase as part of the county’s farmland preservation program. Under the program, municipalities are responsible for 20 percent of the costs.

The price per acre was $7,425, Township Administrator Paul Tuliano said. About 68 acres are in Hainesport and the rest are in Lumberton, Tuliano said. In 2010, the Lumberton Township Committee authorized $17,820 to cover its portion of the costs.

The Murphy farm is the last one in town to be preserved, Mayor Michael Dickinson said.
“The most important thing is our part in keeping New Jersey green and thriving,” Dickinson said.

The farm is near South Jersey Regional Airport and home to D-J Excavating Inc. The family-owned company is a “full-service excavating, hauling and topsoil delivery” business that also rents trash containers, according to its website.

D-J Excavating, which has been in business since 1976, also offers leaf deposit services to various municipalities, including Hainesport, Tuliano said. The farm produces field crops.
“(The farm) is located in a part of town that public sewer and water isn’t permitted,” he said. “The county wanted it (preserved). It’s the last big farm in Hainesport that is not preserved.”
Many homes likely would not have been built on the land because of 5-acre zoning and sewer and water restrictions. Dickinson said officials want to ensure that that part of the town, which borders Mount Laurel and Medford, is preserved in perpetuity.

He said there is commercial development in the area and that officials want to make sure that the farm stays as is.

The Burlington County Board of Freeholders approved the purchase-of-development rights for the farm in 2010 at a cost of $594,000.

Rose Krebs: 609-871-8064; email: rkrebs@phillyBurbs.com; Twitter: @rosekrebs